Maddened
by Bronze Leaf
Summary: "Getting out of the mustang, rifle in hand, he surveyed the area around the grey scar with more detail and that's when he saw the living... it was a boy that stood in the distance. The starlight illuminated the small figure and just to the side of him that red haired women flickered with a whispered, 'Protect.'... Whatever the hell that meant. " Harry PotterxMad Max:Fury Road
1. Rolling into Hell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mad Max and I do not own Harry Potter. Nor do I want to, really.**

 **A/N: First FanFic and I am in need of a Beta. This first half is all self-beta'd, so forgive me. So far this is rated M for swearing.**

...

Luck was never something Harry truly felt like he had. Looking back at his life he could see luck fleeing him when his parents were murdered which led him to being in the care of an unloving aunt and her family. Once again luck fled when it came to his childhood years as he attended primary school where he was bullied and never made friends. Fortunately Lady Luck passed by in a whirl when he turned eleven. Being whisked away into a world of magic and discovered what it meant to have friends and family. After that Harry was very confused on what life wanted from him. Time and time again he found himself in life threatening situations and each time he seemed to barely come out alive. He was sure that if he had always been on the Weasley's clock that he would have been at "mortal peril" more than most of the others in the family. Maybe even beating Charlie and Bill despite their more dangerous occupations.

When Harry finally faced Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest he had thought that was the end. That there would be no more crazy stunts that he had to pull and no more predestined paths he had to follow. He could finally just be Harry... But no, not even a minute after he 'vanquished' the man that had ruined his life did Harry find himself in a barren waste land.

The roof of the great Hall had fallen under the pressure of the attack on Hogwarts. The amount of magic condensed in the ceiling had crackled and started falling. Wizards and witches all around him had started casting shields with the last of their magic that they had. Unfortunately Harry did not have the strength to wave his wand after everything that had happened.

Yes, luck absolutely hated him. And Harry was sure that he hated Lady Luck even more.

...

Sand spread out before him for miles in every direction. The flat and unforgiving landscape made him want to claw his eyes out. Especially with the blinding sun that hung over this barren world like a devil hovering over its prey.

Harry had woken up to this peculiar place after the Battle and the sudden collapse of the Great Hall. At first he had believed it to be a dream but after sitting in the sun for maybe ten minutes he decided that the sun burn he was quickly accumulating was real and incredibly painful.

His eyes hurt like never before and his throat was drier than when he had stood before the Hungarian Horntail in his fourth year.

Something needed to be done and fast if he was to survive wherever he was. Immediately Harry began checking what he had on him.

"Okay what do I have on me. The elder wand, perfect. Clothes, a few Bertie Botts Beans, the invisibility cloak, Gaunt's ring, my wand, and my moleskine pouch."

Wait. The ring?

Harry swore he had dropped it in the forest. Quickly he stored it in his pouch and took out his snapped holly wand and muttered a quick reparo and watched as the wood and feather mended itself back together. He felt a little better having two wands in his arsenal to go up against whatever this place had in store for him and get back home. Harry knew the basics of apparition and quickly went through the three D's as he pictured the front gates of Hogwarts. Nothing happened. He could feel the magic swirling inside him and the wand but nothing would happen. He tried again but decided to apparate three paces away to another sandy spot. A loud crack was heard and he felt himself squeezed before he stumbled to his new spot. So he could apparate but not back to Hogwarts.

Harry sat down on the ground again and absently rubbed at his scar. What was he going to do? Walk home?

Looking around at the desert that surrounded his sad spot on the sandy ground he couldn't help but let out a whimper. This place looked nothing like Britain and where even in muggle London he could feel some magic, here in this wasteland, he felt no magic. None at all.

"I am royally fucked."

-Maddened-

The rest of the day was awful. His eyes kept itching and he was hungry. Thankfully procuring water was within his skill set and Harry was able to always have a stream of water ready to sooth his throat. Which was needed often seeing as he had decided to travel across the sandy plains in the heat of the day.

Also the Episkey charm was used quite often on his skin. It was like a battle between him and the sun rays. The sun burned him and then he healed himself before the burn got too bad. Then they repeated the process again and again.

By the time the sun was starting to set he was laying on the ground for a break and ended up asleep right when his head hit the sand. After hours of oblivion the boy hero woke up to the sun glaring down at him and sweat on his brow.

That day was as bad as the first and the only difference was that Harry shredded his torn shirt to use as a makeshift turban and his button up flannel became the only thing protecting his upper body from burning.

If Hermione was here then he would probably be bowing to her superior knowledge and she would have some kind of charm placed on him to fend off the burns.

Harry immediately cast the thought out of his mind and tried to put up his pitiful Occlumency shields. Home was not what he wanted to think about at the moment… because when he did he wanted to scream in frustration.

It wasn't until night fell that anything interesting happened... Harry awoke to revving of engines and what sounded like loud popping noises. It took a second to register that the sound was actually gunfire. Something that Harry had only ever heard coming out of the Dursley's telly.

"Bloody hell," he choked out as he strained his ears to listen for the noise again.

It seemed to be coming a little ways away from him but still too close for comfort. Quickly Harry turned over in his small hovel he had dug using magic and pushed his invisibility cloak off his face. The first thing he saw was the sky. The stars were bright against the dark blue of the night. It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. Sure Harry spent a lot of time looking through telescopes from the astronomy tower but the brightness from the castle still caused issues with visibility.

He could pick out the constellations he knew and the Milky Way. A surge of relief filled him at the sight of something familiar.

The sound of engines roared in his ears again. It was a lot closer than it was a minute ago.

Cursing his inattentiveness, Harry quickly began to banish the sand below him in an attempt to make his hovel a little deeper. It was about three feet deep by the time he was finished. The sound of those vehicles continued to come closer and when they seemed to be right on top of him Harry huddled in his invisibility cloak and prayed to whoever could hear him that he would go unnoticed.

Finally the vehicles, there had to be about ten from the amount of noise that was being made, seemed to be right there on top of him. Wheels flew over him and sand was sprayed over the cloak and down the insides of his makeshift shelter.

 _Of course_ he was lucky enough to be laying in the tracks of a gaggle of overly loud vehicles.

When the group passed Harry timidly poked his head out and looked at the retreating group. Suddenly they turned and he could barely see one car slightly ahead of the others being shot at. Well the wizard assumed that it was being shot at. Especially since he could make out that the various pursuing vehicles looked very... angry looking. With sharp shagged metal sticking out each of its sides and was that fire blazing around the cars? Well if you could call them cars. Despite the poor visibility Harry could clearly deduce that whatever he was watching was not normal.

Suddenly the cars were heading towards him again and were coming fast.

The boy quickly ducked back into his hole and stuffed the invisibility cloak in his pants. With the Elder wand gripped tightly in his right hand he prepared to do something extremely Gryffindorish.

-Maddened-

Max was having a hell of a ride.

The scavengers were persistent little buggers and were not afraid to use gun fire but all was well... His car was already damaged and in need of repair anyway. Before any repairs could be done he had to shake these guys off his tail. He could shake them alright but it took effort and some pre-planning. If anyone wanted to survive on this hell of a planet then they had to have a good helping of self preservation.

Unfortunately that self preservation turns to shit when his head starts spinning.

There was a flicker in the passenger seat next to him. A young boy with scraggly brown hair peering at him with bloodshot doe eyes.

When Max starts seeing _him_ he knows that his life is about to change and something important is going on. Which is why he let the stupid scavengers get this close to him and was currently leading them towards one of the few mines he dug in the sand three months ago. Max shifted the gears of his mustang and the engine roared as he let his car jump over a crevice in the sand.

It was then that shit hit the fan. Luckily said shit was not aimed at him at the his rear view mirror he saw one to the magnificent things he had ever witnessed.

A giant bird of fire that seemed to swoop in the hair and dive bomb at one of the scavengers buses. The explosion was huge. Unbelievable. What the hell did those fuckers use as fuel in those contraptions?

Max jerked the wheel and turned the car around. He wasn't being followed anymore and now through his windshield he could see that fire bird split in two and were completely consuming the whole party. Whatever the hell that was, it did a lot more damage than a single mine could ever dream of doing to four scavenger the fire lessened and the bird disappeared. Minutes passed until all that was left was the remains of smoldering vehicles.

A flicker in front of the car. It was a woman this time with hair as bright as fire and her eyes... They were the greenest things he has ever seen. But they were paled and had a eerily haunting look that was enunciated by the slack jaw and blood dripping from her lips.

The rogue paused, his hand hovering over his gear shift, before roughly going into first gear and slowly making his way towards the remains. What was once four scavengers and maybe six to ten men was now lumps of grey dust that sat on the sand like a sick scar.

There was a flicker in his vision but Max couldn't tell what it was. The dead or the living. Whatever it was he was suppose to see it... Probably... If it didn't kill him. Yeah, self preservation fucking fled hours ago but it didn't mean he wasn't going to bring his gun with him. There was a fleeting feeling of disappointment when Max realized he wouldn't be able to restock after the obliteration of the small fleet. They probably had some gadgets he could've needed.

Getting out of the mustang, rifle in hand, he surveyed the area around the grey scar with more detail and that's when he saw the living. It was a boy that stood in the distance. The starlight illuminated the small figure and just to the side of him that red haired women flickered with a whisper.

'Protect.'

Whatever the hell that meant.

"Hello, who are you?" The boy asked hoarsely.

Max cocked his gun at him. The figure tensed.

Gesturing towards where the scavengers once stood Max grunted a "What?" out and waited for some kind of explanation. This was the million dollar question. How such a small guy could take down the scavengers with a fire bird in the middle of the desert plains. It really confirmed how insane this world is.

"Oh," the figure straightened up. "About that, just a little trick I learned. They seemed to be chasing you so I thought I would help."

This kid was just asking for a fucking death wish.

Max walked closer cautiously and lowered the barrel. They were only a few feet from each other and green eyes blinked back at him from under the rim of a turban. Despite the desire Max had to just leave the boy high and dry... The dead would probably not let him sleep for weeks until he did do something about the kid.

Sighing Max gestured to his car. "In, now."

The boy tensed before shuffling towards the car. Max stared at him until the kid finally picked up the pace and got into the passenger side.

What the fuck was he even doing. Picking up strays. Not just any stray but an explosive one Damn it.

-Maddened-

Harry studied the inside of the car as his new companion started the engine. Merlin it was loud! He was sure Uncle Vernon's cars were never this loud... Let alone any others he had heard.

The interior was rough edges and metal with frayed seats that probably used to be some normal color until the grime stuck, making it an uneven dark color. The man next to him was looking straight forward throughout the car ride not even looking at Harry even once.

The man was definitely not your normal chap. With long tangled brown hair that reminded him of Sirius and a straggly beard. His clothes were very different and all dark in color. At least it looked like it protected him, maybe some kind of armor. Harry immediately wondered about his own clothes. They would definitely not last in this landscape but maybe they were headed to civilization... A small glimmer of hope bubbled up inside of him at the thought of finding out how to get home but Harry promptly ignored it and focused on the here and now.

Looking back over at the driver Harry wondered if the man was getting tired, he was exhausted personally.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

The man shifted his eyes to look at him before putting them back on the desert. Okay then.

"I'm Harry by the way."

Another shift of the eyes and not a word uttered. Now Harry was getting irritated. The man could be a little more grateful for him saving his arse! He put himself in danger by getting out of the hovel to cast the spell. It could have gone very wrong but the Elder wand lived up to the legends and created a beautiful fiend-fyre Phoenix.

The black haired boy huffed in his seat and rubbed at his still itching eyes. He needed the strange man to help him survive. That's the first step, survive and then somehow figure out how to go back. Voldemort's dead but that doesn't mean there are not things to do back home. His thoughts strayed to home, to his friends, and future.

Harry thought about Hermione and Ron and the rest of the Order. He thought about Hogwarts and all the repairs that probably needed to be done. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes and he swiftly took off his glasses and rubbed them. Merlin he missed them but had no idea how he was suppose to get back to them. He had no idea where he even was!

But hell, he was exhausted. All Harry wanted to do was go home and run away to some cottage, like Bill and Fleur's, and relax. Later he could join the Aurors if he felt up to it. Ron would definitely join too and Hermione would work in the Ministry, the two would get married and have a happy family and Harry would see if Ginny was still interested in giving their relationship a try.

It was these thoughts and the sound of deep humming that lulled Harry to sleep.

-Maddened-

Harry woke up to the sun glaring in his face. Moaning, he rolled his head from an uncomfortable position and wiped the grit from his eyes. Blearily he looked over at the man that he had yet to officially be introduced to.

"Where are we?" Harry croaked.

The other gestured with his head towards the window. More bloody desert and sand. There was a difference in terrain at least, instead of flat plains there was slight hills that led up to tall cliffs.

"Are we heading towards a town or city?" Harry asked curiously. Maybe he would recognize a city name and figure out how far he was from the United Kingdom. He was definitely not on the island anymore.

The look he received in return was very disconcerting.

"None."

"None? What do you mean none?" Harry huffed. "Are we in America? Australia? We are definitely not in the UK, that's for sure."

Dull blue eyes regarded him warily. "No. You aren't from here."

Harry wanted to strangle the other man. _Obviously_ he was not from this god forsaken land. "That's right. Now, where are we?" he demanded.

The other man grunted before motioning to the desert with one hand. "The whole planet is this. It has been for a very long time."

Harry's mind seemed to stop working at the confession. All his thoughts seemed to stop as he looked out at the cliffs and leaned back in his seat.

 _Impossible._

-Maddened-

Max was not in a good mood. Currently he had three bikers hot on his ass and they were coming up fast. The territory that he was passing through was one of the many No Man's Land. Where no one dare claim it as their own. Two other rogues like himself sometimes set up camp here in emergency but it was never the best idea due to the sand storms that frequented this stretch.

Unfortunately he needed to start hunting for fuel and it was sad that he could only pick off a couple bikes and no more. It would be enough to last for a bit but he would need to find a car to siphon from if he was to make it to the next oil container.

He shifted gears and sped away from the cliffs and towards an outcropping he had once used as shelter and was now a trap set up by another rogue. Three bikes and whatever ammunition they had on them in exchange for a very well set up trap, why not.

Shifting gears again, Max let his car slide sideways on the sand being very careful not to flip the vehicle and the bikes followed to do the same thing but had drifted a little farther than himself and the trap activated.

Sharp metal shot at the riders and two of them were killed instantly but the other stopped to look at the dead before yelling something incomprehensible and shooting off into the distance. Two bikes. Fair enough.

"What the bloody hell was that all about!"

Oh right, the kid. Harry, was it?

"Kid-"

"I'm not a kid," the not-kid snapped. "I'm seventeen almost eighteen."

Max just stared at him, the not-kid was strange. No one has used years since before he was born. He grunted in response and got out of the car and stalked towards the two fallen bikers. Of course, the not-kid follows him.

"Well are you going to answer me?"

Max turned around and motioned for him to come closer.

"Survive," he said and pointed to the bodies and quickly began stripping them of their goods.

First the rogue took off the helmets and then the jackets where he knew that he would find ammo and knives. Luckily one of the riders was young and the clothes would fit his strange companion... hopefully.

"This." Max took the clothes and approached the young man.

 _Maybe calling him by his name would make him cooperate._

"Harry," the not-kid glanced at him in surprise when he spoke. And then Max began stripping him of the other man's clothes, starting with taking that horrible turban off his head. The flannel was torn and the pants Harry wore were stiff from caked sand and dirt. Max knew that it had to be uncomfortable to wear.

"Hey now, wait a second!" Pale hands slapped his wrists and jerked the clothes out of his hands. Green eyes, eerily similar to the red haired woman, glared at him. "I can do it myself just fine."

Max smirked and went back to looting the bikers.

-Maddened-

Harry turned away from the man and slipped on dark pants to replace his jeans, the pants were tight but they were more comfortable in comparison to his ruined ones. Ignoring the smell of sweat he placed the light weight jacket over his flannel that he had. Unfortunately the boots the rider wore were too small so he would have to make do with his worn trainers. He thought briefly about transfiguring the boots to his size but thought against it. The other man may just shoot him for it. He seemed like a paranoid bugger.

It took an hour for the two of them to rummage through the gear and then to siphon the gas. Harry was a bit disturbed as he watched the strange man use a hose from the car and his mouth to suck the liquid from the bikes to the car.

Harry didn't think he would ever get used to this. He really just wanted to find a way to get home but if this was how life was he didn't think he would ever see the Wizarding World again.

A week dragged on and Harry finally was able to get a name from his travel partner.

Max.

It was fitting somehow.

They continued their travels and went through many terrains but were not chased again. The sun still bore down on them and the sand still stretched around them for miles and miles. It was incredibly mind numbing.

Harry had no idea where they were going. Max was not a conversationalist and so they mostly spent their time in silence that was surprisingly not awkward with the mix of humming and an occasional nap. At times Harry would talk about home and then at others Max would make comments about the world around them but nothing more.

He really didn't know how it worked, having gangs rule the world, but from what Harry had already witnessed… life was hard here and he was having trouble connecting it to things he knew and understood.

The sun was beginning to set and Max was looking a little worried if his furrowed brow and shifting gaze meant anything.

"What's wrong?"

Blue eyes gazed down at both their water skeins that laid between them on the seat. "Almost out."

Harry blinked the itchiness from his eyes and picked up his skein that was stolen from the bikers days ago.

Magic, the one thing Harry wanted to share with his companion so much but he was afraid. Not that he didn't have courage, six years at Hogwarts and a year trying to eliminate Voldemort made sure of that, but he was still wary of what the reaction would be.

But water was a necessity to life and Harry had learned that this world was not a place where necessities were in abundance.

"Hey Max."

A grunt was the response.

"Do you trust me?"

Max glanced away and hesitantly nodded.

Taking a deep breathe Harry picked up the other skein and pulled his Elder wand from his jacket pocket, placing the tip over the skeins opening and muttered, _"Augementi."_

Water slowly spilled from the tip and filled the pouch. The car jerked and Harry swore, doing his best to not spill water all over the car's interior. The Gryffindor didn't dare look up at the other as he finished the spell, even though the car had come to a complete stop. He replaced the skein with his own and began to fill that one as well.

"What?"

Harry peered up at the other man from behind his bangs and held up the wand. "Magic."

Max looked at the stick as if it would blast his head off before looking back at the, now completely filled, water skeins.

"Magic, that is how you created fire?"

"Exactly."

"What else?" Max asked with his eyes still on the wand.

The next ten minutes turned into a magic show where the wizard was able to show off just a little. Harry was so glad Max hadn't blown his head off or strangled him. The odd man was starting to grow on him a bit and Harry really didn't want to be stranded in the desert again.

At first Max didn't know what to think. The past few days have been very different than what he was used to and he was loathe to admit that the not-kid was growing on him.

Harry seemed to have that flickering red haired women following him more often ever since they had the run in with the cyclists. Max really wished she would go away for his own sanity but it seemed she was worried about Harry. Maybe she was his mom.

The magic threw him for a loop though. Fuckin mystical magic with sparkles and miracles. At first he didn't want to believe it but when he remembered the stick light up and leak enough water to last them three days then he _had_ to believe.

-Maddened-

They were very close to one of the bases that he was welcome in. It was located south-west and hidden behind a vast valley of nothing. The clans didn't know about it and no rogue was about to spill the safe havens location. There wasn't enough material in the world to make any of them talk.

Max just hoped Harry would be welcomed as well. He looked fresh enough to be some clan man's pet and young enough to be brainwashed. All Max knew was that any fucker that decided to put a hand on Harry would find a bullet in the wrist.

Currently said boy was talking again. Half the time he had no idea what the noise meant but still lent an ear to appease his companion.

"-Then they gave the poor kid this piece of candy and he started puking immediately. Fortunately we were able to get him to the Healer on time but it took a bit since she was halfway across the Castle-"

Yep, total nonsense.

Another few hours and the two men found themselves entering a tunnel that was once a rough edged lava tube. The ground had been razed flat in the cave and it was big enough to fit two large vehicles comfortably and it led down to a series of smaller tunnels used for various purposes.

Here Max was hoping to find an old acquaintance, Blaze. The old man knew a lot and held much information about how the world used to be. Hopefully he could help Harry with his ordeal and top off his fuel tank as well. Also Max wanted to figure out what he was to do with the not-kid. The flickering women was starting to scream and gasp, the blood wasn't just dripping from her mouth but leaking from her eyes as well and her clothes were soaked in the substance.

Yeah, he really wanted to figure out what the hell she wanted from him.

After another five minutes of descending into the darkness they finally arrived in a large cavern with glowing green muck covering the ceiling and walls.

Max heard shifting next to him and he looked over to find Harry silently observing his surroundings.

"Let's see if we can figure out what to do with you."

-Maddened-

The next month was an adjustment. Reality hit home when Harry figured out there was no way he was going to find himself back in the England he knew. There was no tomes to study, no other wizards to rely on and even now he was still unsure if he was in another universe of sorts or was in the future of his own. Either way Harry found himself forced to embrace this new lifestyle.

When Max dropped him off at Shelter he was a bit wary of the bald old man that called himself Blaze. It only took a week for Harry to finally push back his grief and ask Blaze to mentor him until Max returned from wherever the Hell he had left to.

Harry was a bit sore from being left behind but Blaze had reassured him that his silent companion would be coming back.

Apparently Blaze was born a couple years after civilization collapsed. The man was originally from Canada, well his parents were before the water shortage forced them to move from their home in the desolate region that was Quebec, and was then apprenticed by a mountain man.

The knowledge Harry accumulated from his stay in the Shelter was horrific and amazing. Blaze buckled down and explained what society had turned into. The Different clans that ruled the nearby area and the 'what to do' and 'not to do's' if he was to ever run into them. Well basically if a clan caught Harry then he was to get out like a bat out of hell. With magic that was doable as long as he had a wand on him. Blaze had been fascinated at being able to witness magic and then made Harry swear to never reveal it to anyone unless he trusted them with his life. The old man went on about the clans trying to breed the best humans for their military desires and that Harry would be a perfect candidate.

Another month past and Blaze had taken him out to some sand dunes that were an hours drive north to learn how to drive. The man was shocked when Harry had said he didn't know the first thing about driving any vehicle and was then promised to be taught how to drive everything. Well almost everything.

They started with cars. An old Volkswagen buggy which took a bit, then a bus, and then the motorcycles which quickly became his favorite to drive. It was like flying in a way with his hair flying everywhere and the contraption in between his legs keeping him going at incredible speeds. Also learning how to master the stick was really hard for him. He had kept stalling out the buggy and Blaze seemed to run out of patience by the time he was in the driver's seat of the bus. So motorcycles it was!

It was after this that the lingering itch behind Harry's eyes got bad enough that he couldn't sleep well at night and Blaze had been at a loss on what to do. Luckily one morning the wizard had woken up to find his vision perfect. The phenomenon was over the old man's head but he felt as if his magic was trying to help him have the best chance of survival in the god forsaken land.

After three months of staying in the dark and strangely humid Shelter, Harry was told he was finally leaving.

During those months Harry had waited for Max to return but the man never showed his face in the caves. One other nomadic man came through to bring in fuel in trade for food and bullets and had said he hadn't seen any mustangs or Max around. Blaze had looked worried at hearing those words and Harry felt a sense of dread. Max could be anywhere and probably dead.

"Kid, you can shoot a gun and drive almost any vehicle. Also you have that magic stick that helps you out. I want you out of my sight and out in the world bothering someone else," Blaze growled out.

Harry smirked, Blaze was a soft Teddy Bear underneath all the barb and rough exterior.

"I promise to visit old man, just don't die on me before I make it back here with some seeds. I swear I will find some… somehow. Then we can maybe build a big greenhouse."

Blaze gave him a toothy grin at that. "The bike is yours, get me some seeds and then consider the debt repaid. Your stick helped out the seeds I do have and we will be having grapes on those vines in two hundred days. Oh, and when you find Max get him back here, will you?"

Harry saluted the man before turning towards his bike. It was beautiful. Bronze and Black and incredibly sturdy. He had taken the chance and charmed the rubber on the wheels to be indestructible but that's all he attempted. Magic and technology didn't go together and Harry didn't want a sentient Motorbike or to break the thing. He knew his godfather once was able to charm a bike and do it correctly so maybe someday Harry would try it out on a spare bike when he got one. Maybe he would just charm this one, just a little at a time, but right now he needed the thing to work properly so he could find the rogue.

With his large pack securely strapped to his back, goggles over his eyes, and his wand up his sleeve... he was ready.

Harry revved the engine and put his finger on the throttle before taking off through the lava tube. When he finally reached the cave opening he upped the anti and went full throttle for a little before leveling off his speed. He was headed East towards where the clans were but he needed information before he was ever going to accomplish his task.

His first spot was where the crows were. The Marshes. Harry had studied the rough looking map at the Shelter but was unsure exactly where it was located. There were people that lived in that land but Blaze had warned him that they were probably cannibals. But hey, Harry had taken down an almost immortal man before so he could probably take down a few cannibals and extract some information from them. One of Blaze's contacts was there so he would take whatever risk he could.

It had been two days worth of driving when Harry finally was able to see the eerie fog in the distance. He had camped out on the side of a sand dune the night before and felt well rested and ready to confront whoever was waiting in the marsh.

He slowed his motorcycle down a bit before he felt the air change. The fog definitely was not the same as the fog that sometimes rested over the Black Lake. It was thicker here and had an almost sour taste to it. Harry maneuvered the bike onto one of the roads that passed east and west through the marsh as he tried to make out any forms of human life.

There!

In the distance was a tall figure, extremely tall with skinny legs and a hunched back. Tattered clothing swayed around it as it walked its way towards him. Its arms also seemed longer than its legs were and used all four limbs to crawl. Harry left his engine running as the figure came closer. The elder wand and newly mended holly wand were in each of his hands.

As the figure came closer Harry could see that the figure was on stilts of some kind and was breathing rather loudly.

"Hello?" Harry called out warily.

The only answer was the rasping breath and the creature came even closer.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to be Blaze's friend?" he asked.

No answer again.

Harry was starting to freak out a little now. With a wand pointed at the figure he stood his ground. "You take one step further and I'll blow your bloody brains out!"

The figure was now only ten feet away and it suddenly sprung from its stilts and dove straight at him with incredible speed. Harry flicked his right wrist and sent a banish charm at its head. With a loud crack the figure went reeling away from him and landed in the sludge about twenty meters away from where he stood with his bike. The fig thickened around the prone body and it disappeared from view.

Harry breathed in and out slowly as he turned his head to observe the surrounding areas. No one else was around and the marsh man was not getting up so Harry pushed the throttle on his bike and made his way farther into the marsh.

It wasn't until twenty minutes passed that Harry finally found another person. This one seemed a bit smaller than the last and appeared to look to be in a bit better shape than the previous one. This one was also on stilts but with turn of its head in his direction the figure started to walk away into the fog.

Great.

...

 **A/N: Let me know what you like and didn't really like and any mistakes :) Also if you want to Beta then PM me.**

 **Edited: 11-4-15**


	2. Spark

Some Inferi, kinda sorta fiendfyre, and bromance

-Maddened-

Harry wanted to scream. He had been trudging through the marshy wasteland for hours and he still had no idea where Blazes contact was. At this rate he could probably find Max on his own. Not only had he tried using magic but the point-me spell was a dud, the wand had just kept on spinning above his hand for almost a whole minute before it dropped back onto his palm uselessly. He casted another point- me spell for Blaze and had the same reaction. Harry briefly wondered why a direction spell wouldn't work and he quickly dismissed that course of thought. Dimensions, lack of magic, different planet, and Horton hears a Who type theories all blew through his mind before he concentrated back at the problem at hand.

The area he was currently in was on the edge of clan territory. So if he went on his own gut feeling and decided to go east he would head into a more populated area where it would be easier to get caught. Now that Harry was thinking about it, Max could've strayed too far east and was picked off by a party of scavengers or clansmen. Which meant he was dead. His stomach hurt at the thought of the rogue man being dead to one of the crazed men he had heard so much about from Blaze and Max. The clan with the oil sounded the scariest out of all the rumors he heard.

Harry sat on a dry rock and watched as the mist curled around him. His bike stood a few feet away to the side of him, he had fluid in the contraption to get him across this huge bowl he was in. Just to the right of it, maybe twenty feet away, stood another one of those tall stilted figures. This one had a crow flying around its head and he had hoped he could get the attention of this being but it was all for naught.

Standing from his seated position. Harry brushed the dirt from his jacket and smiled as he ran his fingers down the buttoned front. The clothing Harry now wore was very different than anything he had ever worn before. Gone were the jeans with t-shirts. They would not make it in this weather and would be very uncomfortable. He had been able to mend and clean the leather pants Max stole for him and Blaze had gifted Harry a shirt and jacket set. The jacket had lots of pockets, which Harry made use of. He was on the verge of figuring out the expansion charm like the one Hermione had used on the quest for the horcruxes. Soon Harry wouldn't need to carry such a big backpack even if he lightened it with a charm.

Merlin, Harry _loved_ Magic.

He had a lot of time to ponder about magical Britain and even his relatives. Hermione and Ron would be married, Ginny would be sad but maybe she would marry Dean. Harry felt his heart pang at that last thought. If they were all alive things would be fine without him. Harry had conceded that he had no idea if they were even alive though. The ceiling of the great Hall could've have killed or done something to more than just him being whisked away. Harry had also entertained the thought if anyone else came with him to this land but the chances were low.

Harry got back on his bike and turned it on before revving the engine, scaring some nearby birds, and slowly made his way along the path. He hadn't been moving for long when he came across a fallen tree and an old man. The man was bald and wore dark torn clothing similar to the other stilted people Harry had seen. He was pasty white and seemed to be humming to himself as he scampered about the fallen tree.

Harry stopped and turned off his bike as he watched the peculiar sight. The man was obviously deranged and needed help. Well, all the people living in the fog seemed to need help but at least this one seemed to show some sign of human intelligence.

The man started mumbling as he crouched down in the dirt to sniff it and then lick it with a long pale tongue. Harry grimaced at the sight and decided to try his luck. He reached for one of his wands and called out to the man.

"Excuse me," Harry said.

A belch was the response. The man jumped and stumbled behind the tree for cover.

Harry scratched his head before putting his hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to hurt you, I was just wondering if you know Blaze?"

Those dark eyes widened and the man straightened up a bit. "Who's askin'?" He grunted.

"I am, my name is Harry and I'm looking for a friend."

The man narrowed his eyes again and stalked forward towards him. "Oh I know Blaze alright. He stole from me, _everything_ from me!"

Harry took a step back and gripped his wand tighter. This could be Blazes contact but maybe not. His mentor probably thought he had a better relationship with the man...

"Listen, I'm looking for Max. Have you seen him?" At this point he was grasping at anything that could keep the man talking and not attacking.

The figure stood at his full height, Harry suddenly became very aware of his shorter stature and the fact that this man was very toned for being so skinny. He reminded Harry of an inferi.

"Max? I've seen him, running around with some pretty ladies. I would've went after him but well, he seemed busy with the war party on his tail."

"A war party!?" Harry spluttered.

"Yes, you know. Those crazy dictatorships chasing their giant truck. There was a lot of them," the man said. He pointed down at his feet where there were deep tracks of what had to be a large vehicle and then moved his finger to point in the direction that the sun set.

Harry looked closer and could tell that whatever vehicle Max was driving or riding was enormous. All around him were different tracks but none as deep as this.

"So you're telling me that Max somehow is involved with the clans?" asked Harry. He did not expect Max to bother with dictators. Something must have happened, something bad.

Suddenly the man began to cackle. His long neck arched back unnaturally as he threw his head back. The stringy mess of hair limply laid down his back and partially across his face. It was quite the image, almost what he expected a twenty-year prisoner from Azkaban to look like. Soon the laugh turned into wheezing gasps and suddenly the man collapse onto his knees.

Harry stared at the man, waiting for him to calm down but he just kept on laughing and wheezing. Soon the wheezing turned into hacking. Unfortunately this man was beginning to remind him of Sirius on one of his bad days. His Godfather did well for being in Azkaban for over a decade but his head was never right after. At Least that was what Remus had explained to him after a particularly nasty episode where Sirius had broken a door and fell down the stairs while laughing about things in the dark.

The man suddenly lurched further and pulled out a knife from the folds of his clothes and sprung towards Harry. The man was fast for someone so sickly.

Harry dove to the side and rolled into a standing position, one hand held his Phoenix wand and the other held the Elder. The man stumbled and turned towards Harry.

"So hungry... can you imagine living off the insects and reeds of the land!? It makes me hungry for something more! For meat and you are looking quite fleshy for a young one!" The man was practically screaming at this point and was stalking towards him again and Harry did the only thing he could think of. He waved his wand in front of himself and hissed the first spell he could think of.

"Serpensorpia," he hissed.

Harry now knew what happens when casting a spell while holding two wands. A boa constrictor and what looked like a mamba sprung from each of the wands and the first immediately bound the other man. Harry just watched speechless as the yellow boa wrapped it's long body around the man and began to suffocate him.

The man jerked and screamed and Harry watched slightly fascinated by the display. The snakes continued to constrict around its prey and soon the silver mamba leapt from his defense position in front of Harry and bit the man in the face.

Death soon followed.

...

Harry was once again sitting in the wetland on a rock wondering what to do while ignoring the dead body that lay twenty or more paces away from him. This time he had an idea of where Max was headed but now he had two snakes that he didn't know what to do with. His first thought was to banish them, get rid of the poisonous African snake and the giant constrictor that could possibly hurt him within seconds. Unfortunately the snakes started chatting and Harry was being entertained by the sassy mamba and the motherly boa.

Harry sighed as he felt a large snake make its way up his torso and drape over his shoulders. He had talked to them earlier after they killed Blazes informant and now they liked him because he was entertaining.

 _"Human, this place is wet,"_ hissed the Mamba.

The boa flicked it's tongue into its ear and hissed one word. " _Hungry_."

Harry sighed again and stood up, careful of the mamba currently at his feet slithering back and forth.

 _"I have no food friends, sorry. But I do have to get moving."_ Harry held up both wands and twirled them and the snakes disappeared back into them.

Within a minute Harry was back on his bike and following the tracks that headed west. He once again passed an uprooted tree and deeper grooves of the larger vehicle before heading away from the wetlands.

Decisions. Harry couldn't decide where to go next. Should he follow the tracks that lead to a war party and possibly be caught by the madness of their government? Max had once told him that only a delusional man would willingly join them. The wizard didn't necessarily fancy going towards the war party or their territory but he already committed himself to finding Max.

This reminded him of the fiasco at the Department of Ministries and how he had thought he was doing the right thing by going to rescue Sirius but it all was a set up. Saving Max could have a similar consequence where going after him would cause more problems.

Harry growled as he slowly made his way out of the fog and into the scorching heat of the desert. He couldn't have Max die like Sirius. The guilt would be too much.

He jerked his handlebars to the right and soon he was speeding east towards the great cliffs that separated Harry from the clans.

Max was having a lovely day.

At the moment he was in a very interesting predicament where his life was hanging by a thread. Never had he been so fucking terrified.

He was hanging onto an extremely tall pole that was connected to a war vehicle. The war boys were trying to shoot him up and it seemed like the war rig with Furiosa and the girls was not going to make it.

He swore as he swung far to the right, his body was so close to the ground that he could feel the dust and dirt kicked up from the other vehicles pelt him all over. Max knew that he would have welts his arms and face to go along with the many cuts a bruises he had. He was shocked that he could function as well as he could with the blood loss he had from being a blood bag.

Max watched as Furiosa's war rig slowed down a smudge more. He closed his eyes as a bullet snagged his jacket and another whizzed past his ears. Yells from the war boys and screams from the girls were layered over the roaring of engines. Max had to somehow get off this pole.

He opened his eyes and saw the war party was heading for a giant fire snake. Max remembered the fire bird and saw the resemblance between the massive snake… they were heading towards and Harry's bird.

Max let the pole swing to the the other side of the vehicle and flung himself onto the car next to him.

Two expertly placed right hooks left him a driver's seat and a deceased war boy as a passenger. Max yanked right on the wheel so he was parallel with the war rig.

Looking over he saw Furiosa trying to make eye contact. Panicked eyes stared down at him and he attempted crack a reassuring smile. Suddenly red swarmed around the vehicles and seemed to attempt to cling onto the sand and then the vehicles. None of the fire clung to the rig or his own car. Max twisted in his seat and squinted at the bus behind him. A snake head broke from the red and its fanged mouth opened and engulfed the whole vehicle. The rogue turned back around and started making plans. If the fire-snake ate away the whole war party then they would have a free ride home.

Max revved his engine and he sped ahead of the war rig and scanned the horizon. No Harry in sight, Max frowned and eased on the gas.

He hoped he didn't pass the kid. The pass ahead was not a friendly place and even he wasn't sure they would make it through unscathed. Max jerked in his seat as the engine of the war vehicle started to screech and rumble. The hunk of metal started burning up, the engine was going to explode.

"Hey!" He yelled. The war rig was going to pass him. Max pulled one of the golden levers next to the steering wheel and crawled out the window. One of the girls had opened up the passenger door.

"Get in!"

Max looked back and saw two vehicles still following them at a distance. One was fucking Immortal Joe too.

He jumped and grabbed the frame of the rigs door just as his 'borrowed' vehicle started to sputter. Sets of feminine hands pulled him in and he laid his head back against the seat.

Furiosa looked back at him thoughtfully. "What do you think of that fire snake?"

Her big brown eyes were full of worry and hope. After the horrible revelation of the death of the green place he hoped Harry would be a ray of light for her and the girls. Max was not exactly sure everything he could do but that magic stick could do some good for these women.

"I know who did it," Max managed to get out.

One of the girls, Toast maybe, raised her hand thoughtfully. "We saw no one in front of us. The fire that came with it may have covered them but if it was a weapon it would have to be fairly close to do that much damage."

Max scoffed. "He's good."

Harry may be young but he carried that stick like he was born with it. The kid is probably following at a distance and waiting. The two vehicles following were closing in. The stress the rig had from the fire race had been hard on the engine but the pass was in view. Max wasn't sure if the fire animals would be back or what would happen.

"We will make it." One of the old woman said from the passenger seat. "The sun willing, we will make it."

The sound of bullets being passed and murmured thanks could be heard as everyone prepared for the pass and the possibility of the crazy dictator coming up there ass.

Harry was impressed and maybe a bit scared at first. The vehicles were of various sizes and shapes with crazed brainwashed humans crawling over them.

He hadn't ridden long when he found tracks. Lots of tracks going both directions. Harry had stood around for a bit before realizing he was a wizard and that it wasn't rocket science for him to figure out which way to go. A quick revealing charm showed which tracks were more recent and he hit the road.

It was not long when Harry saw the dust in the distance. He wasn't sure which way they would turn so he couldn't short cut to them and they were going fast. The only reason he could see them was because he left the mist behind.

Harry glanced at the wand in his hand and briefly thought of bike beneath him before chanting, " _Antecedo Momentum_."

The bike beneath him groaned before shoot forward. His goggles pressed against the skin of his face and his hair whipped around violently. There was no glass to protect him from sand and Harry immediately regretted not having a cloth to cover his face. He would look damn scraped up. He was much closer now and could tell they were going straight with no turns.

Harry turned his vehicle to the right to speed past everything ahead of him, probably the war party and hopefully Max separate from them. He was impressed and maybe a bit scared at first. The vehicles were of various sizes and shapes with crazed brainwashed humans crawling over them. Luckily they did seem to be chasing something, a lorry. A giant demented lorry.

It took a moment but Harry was finally able to verbalize a way for him to slow down. He hoped no harm was done to his bike.

He couldn't tell if Max was anywhere in the lorry or the other vehicles.

"Merlin's Balls." There was Max, he was on a pole! Harry looked at the cliffs in the distance and raised his wand arm.

" _Fiendfyre_."

A snake shot forward with incredible speed and the red serpent was suddenly out of view. Harrys fiends were still the left of him so the snake grew in size until it was basilisk on the horizon charging the party. Harry always fell off his bike as he watched the red beast raise over the two cars in front and crash into the remain behind it.

Harry had to look away. There were explosions and screaming and despite having lived through one war did not mean he wanted to watch people die. Max was his friend. Hopefully Max agreed, and Harry owed him.

Another muttered spell and he shot forward over some sand dunes. He wanted to go check on Max but he also knew that he was magically drained from all the spells and needed to get ahead and wait.

The wind brushed through his hair the bike rumbled beneath him. His wheels went forward as smoothly as they could with magic trying to seep into it. He was hungry and tired and he just realized he had been awake for probably a whole 24 hours.

He blinked and the land wavered and he mumbled for the vehicle to slow down. It did.

Staggering on his feet, he let the bike fall and sat his butt on the sand. He was draining. Maybe one last spell before he was magically incompetent for the next bit of time. Harry raised his wand and shot out green sparks. Hopefully that as good enough.

Max watched as a green jet of light rose above some dunes just to the right of the entrance.

He had blondie conked out on his shoulder and another girl draped over her. He wasn't really in a spot to drive. He looked over at Furiosa's profile. He grunted.

"Hey."

The woman looked over at him.

He jerked his head to the lights that were disappearing in the wind. "Go there."

Furiosa gave him a look, t _hat_ look. The ones females were so good at giving that included "your hopeless why do I put up with you".

He was ready to argue but she turned onto a semi flat area and Max jostled the girls so he could get the window open wider.

"The hell?" Blondie was awake.

Max was sticking his head out the window and squinting, trying to keep his eyes exactly where he saw the green. The same green from the fucking light show Harry gave him months ago. He should've known the kid would try to find him when he didn't come back to the hide out.

His hands flexed against the rim of the window, there was a dark spot on a dune. "Slow down!"

A swear from the front made Max turn his head. "No! We have a mad man on our rear, we cannot risk this!" She had a point.

"Fuck." Max pulled himself out of the window fully while everyone else yelled at him. The rig slowed down enough for Max to jump out grab the mass of clothes that was Harry and jumped on the rear of the rig as it started to pick up speed. The rogue had one arm wrapped around the limp body and the other around the ladder. It took a minute but Max got the boy in a fireman carry and started his way up the ladder. A yell from behind him told Max that Immortal Joe was closer because of this but he couldn't care less.

When he was making his way along the top one of the green place woman came up to him to help but he stared her down. Like hell he was letting some hag drop the kid off the side of the truck. She ended up helping him into the cab through the side door.

Harry was hugging him from the front, probably awake now by the feel of arms tight around his neck and legs gripping his hips.

He settled down in the seat behind the passenger and tucked Harrys head underneath his chin. The body on top of him relaxed but he could feel hands gripping his jacket tightly on his chest.

Max wove a hand through the long back locks. They were greasy and sandy from days' travel and wondered how long the boy had been looking for him.

Someone cleared their throat and Toast, he was pretty sure it was Toast, was looking back at him with a considering expression. Furiosa was the one who made the noise. 

"So who is he?" she asked.

Max looked back down at the boy, not really realizing he was burrowing his nose in the next of hair. "The only person who can bring back the green place."

That got everyone worked up even more.

-Maddened-

A/N:

How long does it take a bitch to post a chapter?

This is half the size of the first chapter… hell


	3. Hold my Hand

Some grubs, not canon Fury Road, and some primitive magic

-Maddened-

The red head was back.

Harry was still asleep by the time they reached the canyon. The girls had not stopped their glances at him but they at least kept to themselves. The red head with the blood on her lips would flash outside when he would glance and at times she would appear five inches from his face. Just on the other side of the door, pale hands gripping the window edge. Her eyes glassy and so green that he felt like they would swallow them up.

The next hour had been tense.

Immortal Joe was on top of them. In the chaos they took over Immortal Joes vehicle, shot others and were shot at, and the last of the Vulvani died.

At the moment Furiosa was on the receiving end of a blood transfusion with himself and Max was starting to become light headed. Harry was still asleep in the back seat with Toast and Capable sitting on either side of him. Capable was carding her hands through the kid's hair and a surge of something bubbled in his chest. Harry had been in and out of consciousness. He turned his head away and watched as Furiosa started twitching back to life.

Max knew they would make it through this. Capable had been teary over the war boy and everyone still seemed to hurt over going back to the Citidel without Splendid, or Angharad, whichever her name was. War was war however short it was.

"Thank you, Max."

Furiosa had woken more fully and was looking at him with bleary eyes. Max grunted before pulling out the tube from their arms and bandaging them up. As much as he had invested in these woman, he still had to take care of himself and Harry.

He finished the knot on her make shift bandage and then applied the same technique on his own arm before shrugging back on his bulky jacket. They were almost back to the Citadel and he wanted to sleep. Sooner rather than later. Maybe even find his car, he couldn't remember if it had exploded or not.

Fragile shifted gears on the large truck as they came back onto the open road that lead from each clan territory. The girl had gotten a hang of driving very quickly, Max was impressed. Toast clambered her way up front, practically sitting on the driver and Max nodded at the girl before crawling back. Harry was still leaning against Capable's shoulder.

Max got himself comfortable in the back seat and grabbed the boy's shoulders to see if he could get him awake. He did not want to get to the Citadel with dead weight on him. The back of the cab was barley spacious enough for them in Immortal Joes vehicle, it would've been too small for all them but their numbers had died down since the turn around. It was good enough for now.

"He has been in and out again. I didn't want to bother him," Capable explained. Her hands kept knotting and unknotting strips of the white cloth that she had as clothing. "Didn't want to bother you either, with Furiosa."

Max grunted in understanding before grabbing his canteen and pouring it over Harrys head. It didn't take long for the younger man to start groaning. "Oi, stop it!" Harry muttered, tan hands swatting at the canteen.

Green eyes blinked up at him before Harry got himself upright. "What's it? What's going on?"

"Going to the Citadel."

"Oh really? It took me long enough to find your arse! This blasted desert! Hey where is your beard? Who are they?"

The questions were rapid fire and Fragile, Toast, and Dag giggled from their spot up front.

Introductions were made thoroughly now that Harry was coherent and Dag then, of course, hit it off with the kid. During all the chatter Furiosa made eye contact and Max was sure that she approved of Harry.

It didn't take long for them to arrive. Max had watched Harry and Dag talk about her seeds and Toast jumped in a time or two with suggestions on growing. As they approached the hordes of people at the Citadel Max started gathering his things. He was about to grab Harry but paused. He was still having an animated conversation and looked to be enjoying himself.

Should he drag Harry back out to the desert? He planned on grabbing one of Furiosa's vehicles and heading back out to a safe house. Would it be better to leave the kid? Sure there was magic and Max had decided to help him a bit. At first because of the red headed woman and now because the kid was growing on him- growing on him a lot.

Green eyes looked at him and a small smile was directed at him. Max couldn't help a twitch of his lips.

"So Max, they shaved you clean. Are you going to grow it back or keep it?" Harry asked.

Max rolled his eyes and brought his hands to his chin, feeling the rough stubble that had grown in. He didn't want to leave the kid behind. Who knew what would happen with Furiosa possibly taking over the Citadel.

"Don't know." Was the response he gave. He would probably keep it off. It was too hot to have it grow back.

Harrys smiled widened a bit before his attention was directed back to Furiosa who was just parking on a lift. People were surrounding the vehicle and Max wrenched open the door, kicking off one of the scoundrels trying to climb on.

A short speech was given and Max took Harrys arm and took him into the crowd.

"We will be back," he reassured when he saw Harrys concerned look. Max was definitely going to keep an eye on the boy. Furiosa would have a lot on her plate with the girls and the rest of the clan.

The lift was risen and Immortal Joes body was on display for all the War boys and others inside the monolith. Furiosa would do good to these people.

"Come on." They made their way through the crowd, giving one last wave to Furiosa.

The crowd was making their way towards the Citadel so it took a bit to jostle their way out.

"Hey Max, do you think we could go get my bike?" Harry asked loudly, trying to be heard over the yelling and muttering.

Max thought about the canyon and cliffs, thought about the scavengers and sighed. The trip back was going to be a pain.

-Maddened-

Harry was sad to see the girls go. They were sweet and excited for the future, something Harry could relate to. He had been excited for post Voldemort life. He still was, if he could future out how to get home.

A bit of him was bitter that there was no easy way to get back, that no one could help him. At the same time, he also felt a peace to know he had people here. Wherever here was. He still wasn't sure. Maybe Blazes earliest theory was right, dimensional travel.

As they left the crowds Max turned to go around to the back side of the Citadel monolith. There were no people back here but there was a great view of more wasteland.

"Dig." Max grunted at him, motioning towards a random patch of sand at the foot of the Citadel.

Harry glanced over, slightly annoyed before digging with his hands. Max kept walking, leaving him alone.

The man was slightly infuriating with his short sentences but he was quite the looker with beard gone. Max was obviously well muscled and fit, well as fit as one could be living off desert cuisine. Harry gave a small smile to Max when the man made his way back over to start helping.

It didn't take much longer for them to come across a tarp with a large bike underneath. It had a bloody side car too. It was decked out in skulls and bones, quite tacky.

"Furiosa's gift," was the only explanation given as they set it up. They threw Harrys bag in the side car and both sat on the bike itself.

The sun was setting now and it would cool down a bit. Still no one had made their way behind the Citadel but the cheering and roaring water meant there was still celebrating going on.

Soon purple painted the sky as well as thousands of stars peering down at them. Max rode the bike away from the Citadel into an area Harry hadn't been to before. His arms were gripped around the rogue's waist and his head buried in the dusty leather.

He knew magic, it was an extension of himself. He could feel it around him but he couldn't feel it in the air. He wasn't a sorcerer or a warlock, just a simple wizard who knew how to fight. He didn't know how to get back. He hadn't the first idea. He was still stuck. He wouldn't get back.

If Max noticed Harry clinging to his back a little more tightly he did not say anything.

Things were still ok. He was ok.

-Maddened-

It was a full night's ride before Max pulled over at a ravine. The ravine was another small stopping place for him, it was as long as the Citadel was high. Not easy to find but easy to run over the lip and fall to your death.

The sun was just rising and Harry had moved himself to the side car to get some sleep. They were both exhausted still after the previous day but Max was uncertain he would last much longer.

Stepping off the bike, Max quickly grabbed the tan tarp and covered the bike and helped Harry out of his seat. Sleep needed to come sooner.

"I can drive. Hey, Max stop." Harry complained when Max was digging through the bag he had been carrying. The rogue gave a small dismissive wave at that.

There was a small bed roll, a miracle that it made it through everything. Max motioned for the younger man to follow and they both made there was to the ravines lip where a cave entrance was just to their right. The stone was grey and black in the ravine, the color contrast was great compared to the red sand and blue skies outside.

"How do you know all these places?"

Grunting Max helped Harry down before they laid back against the cool rock.

When they awoke it was the afternoon and Max felt like he could sleep another couple hour's but Harry was tracing something into the ground. Max raised himself up and looked over at the dirt sketch. A triangle encompassing a circle with a line dissecting it through the middle.

Max grunted a motioned to the picture. Harry looked down at him from his perch on a large rock and smiled. "Oh this? It's a symbol of death where I am from. Death seems to follow me most of the time but hopefully I can leave it behind soon enough." There was a tone of sadness and wistfulness in what he said.

Sitting up more, Max tried to get a better look at Harrys face. "I see death at times."

Green eyes looked at him curiously, "Oh?"

"You have a red headed woman following us. Green eyes like yours."

That caught the other off guard. "Wait, long red hair? My mum?"

Max shrugged. Like hell he knew anything like that but Harry was probably right.

"And you say you see dead people often?"

A nod from him and another considering look from Harry.

"Family?"

Max looked to the corner of the room where the boy with brown hair was, Glory.

"Always."

-Maddened-

It took two days to get around the mountains to an abandoned pass. Harry had driven for a bit after he felt recuperated enough but he was feeling a bit down after realizing again that he probably was stuck in desert land. At least he had Max.

Max was a subject Harry tried not to think too deeply about. The man was attractive in a rugged way. Someone he would've been wary of back home but was his confident here. At times Harry found himself staring at the man's lips, his eyes, and even his broad shoulders.

The wizard thought he was very much set with his sexuality. He had a thing with Cho, ended up horribly and then Ginny but Harry wasn't so sure it would've worked out. The girl dated Dean of all people so technically she was off limits, them being friends. Hermione would probably disagree.

Harry let his head hang between his knees. He was crouched on the west side of the mountains, alone, waiting for Max to get back. The man had just left that morning with the bike and side car without so much a by your leave. Max was insufferable. Insufferably attractive and independent.

Taking out the Elder wand, Harry started to twirl it letting the sand beneath him levitate into the air. Swirling the wand to his right he let the sand thicken into a long whip that had an end that would snap when it turned. Grains of sand followed the wand and then more followed the grains before it.

In the corner of his eyes there was a movement. Sand shifted underneath booted feet. A slow breath was heard as if preparing for something.

Harry whipped his wand to his right and sand followed the wands movement and his whip wrapped around the half hidden figure hidden behind a jutted rock some ten or more feet away.

There was a scream and curse, definitely not Max, and Harry rolled to the side as bullets connected into the sand he was just inhabiting. He stood quickly and cast a barrier in front of him with his own wand that appeared from his sleeve and yanked on his sand whip, a large rugged man stumbled into the open while another bullet connected to his barrier.

"Piss off," Harry hissed as he petrified his prisoner and then cast a disarming spell into the cliff above him. After the first missed Harry ducked and cast another and a red beam hit the shooter and they fell from their precarious roost. The man screamed for seconds before his body impacted on the hard ground.

Harry felt sweat dripping down his face and adrenaline running through his body. It was automatic, he ran to the fallen attacker and bound them with ropes from his wand and summoned the stalker from his spot in the sun as well as the fallen rifle.

The sand was turning a darker red as the sun was starting to set. Harry wondered briefly when Max would be back and if the man knew these rugged men. Possibly also rogues themselves.

He stripped them of two of knives, rope, some dried mystery substance that was probably food, and a damp bag that held a couple hand full of grubs. Harry careful set down the knives at his feet and completely opened up the pouch and watched as cream colored stubby grubs wiggled around. As he watched them there was a few he noticed that had bright blue stripes along their bellies.

Blue grubs? Bean-Grieve grubs? What were they doing in the middle of the desert? These grubs he had used on multiple occasions in different healing elixirs.

Quickly he closed the bag and tightened the drawstring, tucking them in his inner pocket of his jacket. Harry walked over to the two men and waited for them to awaken.

The larger man, the stalker. Was probably blond underneath the grime with wide shoulders and thick torso. The shooter was darker looking with a wild mess of dark hair and goggles tangled in its strands. He was dyeing possibly if his ragged breathing and bloody lips meant anything. They obviously were working together and maybe even for someone. Both wore beards, close cropped, and wore matching dark jackets.

Harry felt a little sorry for them but this world was pretty bad.

The blond came to in another minute.

"What-?" The man's eyes opened blearily and he quickly straightened at the site of Harry crouching in front of him.

"Good evening. What do you want?" Harry probably should've started with something easier but the magical grubs needed some answers.

The man looked over at his unconscious companion, tied up with heavy cords, and then back at Harry. "We dunno what it's. You's suppose to meet witha boss."

The wizard cocked his head to the side and tried to find intent in the other mind. He completely failed at Occulmency but after being able to invade someone's mind once he found he can get the read on people a bit easier.

Truth.

"And who is it that you work for?"

The man shrugged he seemed a little frightened of being tied up but seemed more concerned for his companion. The blond kept glancing to the shooter.

"We's only met 'em once. In passen', needs services an' da like once in a while."

"Your name?" Harry asked.

"Call me Chris, they do."

He then asked about the grubs.

"'Nother service. Given it to da boss. Dunno why he wants maggots."

"Who gave you the maggots?"

The man's lips tightened at that and he looked at his companion. "Can't say."

Harry sighed and struck the back of the man's head with the back of the rifle.

After petrifying the two again, so they wouldn't get the jump on him, he settled back in a nearby hallow to wait for Max. He would figure out the grubs in the morning.

-Maddened-

"I need three." Max pointed at the dried meat sacks. They were small portions but the protein would do him good after being a blood bag, twice. Harry seemed to be doing fine so he wasn't too worried about protein, mainly something starchy and filling.

Villages were uncommon out here. The clans ruling the larger areas and smaller groups owning the passes and other easy routes. If a village cropped up it was because there was a family that had a trade and helped with the exchange of goods between the rogues, clans, and other parties. This village was made up of steel structures that were barely held together with rope and tarp. It was nestled between two small cliffs, if they should even be called cliffs, in the middle of a large expanse of dunes. There was also a well that served limited water and maybe a couple dozen worth of individuals that lived there permanently.

Max sighed as he left with an abundance of four bags of dried meat and another of the starchy mush that didn't really have a name. It would go bad in a day. He sold a gun for this. A bit much but the meat was good meat from the clans. It was more than enough for now.

The sun was lowering and haggling had taken a bit of time, it was time to leave. Max was almost out of the village when he saw someone burning rodent bones in a fire not too far from the path. They were muttering and waving their hands over the burning bones.

The person was young with white blonde hair and misty eyes. Max was almost past her when the girl looked up and smiled.

Max blinked and scowled at the girl, she just laughed and blew out the small flame in one breath.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

The girl motioned him to continue forward before fleeing her spot, her light feet carrying her back into the village.

"What?"

-Maddened-

Max made it back before sunrise. The sun was turning from its darker blue to a beautiful pink. The cliffs were more red then during the day and he could barely see Harry even with how close he was. He was surprisingly unworried during his whole trek out and was taken aback when he found Harry sleeping not too far from a bundle of bodies laid out on the sand. Max wandered over to the two unconscious men and dismissed them quickly, Harry could take care of himself.

Harry was propped up against a large boulder dead asleep still and Max went to sit next to him, careful not to make too much noise. When Harry slept he didn't move around much at all. His body still and his breaths even with no snoring. The rogue let one of his hands reach out and smooth down the crease between Harrys brows. Even if his companion was a still sleeper didn't mean he didn't dream.

His rough fingers didn't leave Harrys face. The skin was soft and light. When the breeze pushed past them he could feel the soft locks brush against the back of his hand. Max let himself indulge himself for another minute, dragging his fingers down past high cheek bones and cupping the strong jaw line in his hand. The beard that was slowly beginning to form was also surprisingly soft to the touch.

A groan came from the two men and Max let his hand fall away before turning. The taller of the two was waking up slowly and a flash of a figure next to him came to existence. The person was tall and dark with coarse hair matted into thick locks. Gold eyes stared at him, crying blood. "To him." The image flickered and then stared at Harry and repeated the same line again. "To him." Then disappeared.

Riddles. Fuck he was sick of them.

Max rose fully and strode over to the prisoners and gave them each a good kick to wake them up.

"Up!" He barked.

He wasn't too worried about Harry; he would probably wake soon anyways.

Max gave a harsh kick to each of the men and grabbed a gun from his belt.

The blond jerked completely awake with a yell. It was hard to make out the man's features but Max could tell he wasn't from any clan. Dark eyes widened in panic. A quick swing and Max's arm wrapped around the man's neck, holding him in a head lock. "Why are you here?" Max growled out.

The man chocked and gasped. "Whadda on abou'? Kno' nuthin'!"

Max gave the man a good shake and pressed the barrel of the gun into the matted hair.

"Oi Max!" Harry was at his side.

Max looked over the green eyes were hard but worried. "Who?"

Harry rolled his eyes and motioned towards the man still choking. "That's Chris, him and his friend came after me. Still need to figure out where to go from there… but look at this!" The boy was pulling out a small sack from his jacket and inside were dirty grubs with bright blue veins. "These are magic," Harry whispered. "They had them with 'em. Said they were going to take me to someone. I need to find out what magic is out here." Harrys smile was wide and his eyes alight with excitement. "I might be able to go home."

Max felt his heart constrict for a moment.

"The other one is dead. Pretty sure," Harry finished saying casually. Max heart felt as if his heart crept up into his throat. He couldn't speak.

 _Harry is leaving._

"Max!"

Max jumped at the noise and he let go of the wheezing man below him. He felt nauseous for a moment as he oriented himself and looked into wide green eyes. Skinny hands were holding onto the front of his jacket and Max grabbed for Harrys shoulders to orient himself better. A moment of weakness.

He let go of the boy as if scalded and took a few staggered steps away. He did not get attached. He did not get attached.

Max coughed and looked took the side, Harry was standing next to the prisoners looking confused and hurt. He forgot how small his companion was.

"We will figure it out and go," he muttered.

Max disposed of the body and gathered their 'slightly' alive prisoner. Harry trailed behind him giving him side eyed glances that he wasn't sure how to interpret.

-Maddened-

The trip was comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. Harry was on watch, which meant he was on the back of the bike and Chris was passed out in the side carriage. Max was driving and had been driving for hours and Harry was starting to go numb and his arms sagging as he tried to keep a good hold around Max's waist.

They were headed to Blazes' to find any information and Harry was excited for that. He had a few seeds from Dag in his pocket and he knew that Blaze did not have these specific ones.

It was two day's travel to arrive at the familiar cliff face and the familiar tube of old lava rock underneath feet of sand stone. Chris was a jabbering mess at this point but Harry was pretty sure he could get the man sane again. Possibly.

The deep red of the rock came as a reprieve from the blinding red and dusty yellow from above. Max seemed to relax now that they were out of the sun as well.

The lava tube didn't go too deep into the surface, there were some pockets of air ways that let fresh air, sand, and light into the shelter. Harry had missed this place. It had been maybe fourteen or fifteen days since he had been here and he briefly wondered if Max ever missed having a home. Having someplace to return to.

When they arrived Harry slid off the bike with a groan and rubbed his lower back and his bum to get feeling back into his lower body. He would worry about Chris later; he wasn't worried about him running away. It was difficult enough to navigate the tunnels.

Max gave a grunt when he swung his leg over and Harry watched as the man relinquished his coat and outer shirt. His mouth went dry at the skin shown. Harry hadn't seen this much of Max before and he turned away with a slight cough. The man didn't just feel fit but he looked fit too.

"Alright?" Max asked.

Harry blushed as he caught himself looking at the rogue's lips, shoulders, arms, and everything. This was uncomfortable and Harry was ready for a bath and some sleep. He gave Max a shrug and walked off to find Blaze in his quarters. He scrubbed his hands over his face. He needed to focus on what was important. The bloody grubs and getting home.

-Maddened-

A/N:

Chapter upload by popular demand


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